Netflix price increase: DVD rental / media streaming alternatives

Just yesterday we told you that Netflix – American provider of on-demand Internet streaming video and DVD (by mail) rental – had recently announced that it was going to increase its prices up to 60 percent, which as you can very well imagine caused outrage amongst its users. In fact, some Netflix users have even threatened to cancel their service and look elsewhere.

If you are one of the many users that aren’t happy with the Netflix price increase, then you may like to know about DVD rental and media streaming alternatives. We found an interesting article written by Ed Rhee over on the cnet.com website, which provides a list of seven Netflix alternatives. The list has been broken down into 2 different sections: DVD rental and media streaming.

First up in the DVD rental section is Redbox, which rents out physical discs via kiosks that are strategically located inside retail stores. Renting a movie is simple: just approach the kiosk, make your selection and then pay for it. Customers even have the option of using the Redbox website or their mobile app to reserve a movie at a specific Redbox kiosk.

Although prices can vary depending on region, the price is generally around $1 plus tax per DVD. Another DVD rental alternative is Greencine, which works similar to Netflix in the fact that their movies are delivered by mail. However, Greencine’s movies cater for a more selective audience than Netflix, with a large selection of foreign, documentary, anime and indie titles.

Greencine’s prices start from $9.95 a month for a one-DVD-out plan. There is also the option of your local public library, as many do hire out DVDs for a week at a time now. If however you are looking for a media-streaming alternative, then you could always give Hulu Plus a try. The Hulu Plus service enables users to watch full TV episodes, as well as a selection of movies.

The Hulu Plus subscription will cost you $7.99 a month. Another media streaming alternative is HBO Go, which is currently available through U-verse, AT&T, Charter (beta), DIRECTV, Cox Communications (beta), Dish Network, Verizon FiOS, Suddenlink and Xfinity. Users will have access to HBO licensed movies, as well as original shows such as Entourage and True Blood.

If that doesn’t appeal to you, then maybe you’ll like Amazon Instant Video. The Amazon instant Video service features a wide selection of movies and TV shows to rent on a per-title basis. TV episodes cost $1.99, while the latest movie releases are $3.99. The final media-streaming alternative is Comcast Xfinity TV, which provides Comcast users with access to movies and TV shows.

You can read more about the aforementioned services via the cnet.com website. Are you a current Netflix user? If so, will you be cancelling and going elsewhere?